Burai Fighter [Model DTF-5F]

Burai Fighter © 1990 Taito Corporation.

Burai Fighter is a multi-scrolling shooter by Taito. In a far corner of the galaxy, an alien race of super-brain creatures, known as the Burai, rules over multiple worlds in an attempt to overrun the universe. Their army of mutant cyborgs, half-machine and half-beast, is now deploying in force to all corners of the galaxy. The player is sent off to destroy the enemy invasion. Equipped with a jet-pack and a laser-cannon, he must infiltrate the Burai's facility and neutralize the threat. Our hero can move and fire in eight different directions - pressing and holding the fire button allows him to fire in that direction until it is released again. There are three different weapons available in the game - the Laser (L), the missiles (M) and the power-rings (R). Although each weapon has three power levels, five power-icons must be collected to upgrade them. However, should the player die, the active weapon will start back at the lowest power level. Smart-bombs can also deliver their destructive payloads in critical situations and are available in limited quantities. A special bar located at the bottom of the screen displays the current bomb power-level, and red pods scattered throughout the game must be gathered to slowly increase this energy. Interestingly, filling up the bar entirely awards the player an extra life. More power-ups are available for the taking such as speed-ups (S), defense satellites and extra lives. The game also features top-down perspective levels - a map displayed at the beginning of such levels shows the location of a large enemy base. Bases are massive eyed monsters surrounded by turrets that have to be destroyed in order to advance to the next level. Burai Fighter features seven levels (some areas branch out and sometimes reveal hidden rooms), as well as three difficulty levels which lead to different endings.